<p>Groundwater artificial recharge (GAR) is widely applied to restore groundwater levels; however, its potential to introduce environmental risks and the long-term evolution of groundwater pollution risk before and after implementation remain poorly understood. Herein, the Yongding River replenishment area was analyzed for the periods before (2002–2014) and after (2014–2022) GAR, considering pollution source patterns and groundwater level fluctuations. A comprehensive groundwater pollution risk assessment framework was developed by integrating pollutant load, vadose zone attenuation, and aquifer transport processes to evaluate the characteristics and spatiotemporal evolution patterns. The results demonstrated a decline in groundwater pollution risk before GAR, with high-risk areas primarily concentrated in the central part, where the combined effects of pollutant load and groundwater level fluctuations reduced the proportion of high-risk areas from 2 to 1%. Following long-term GAR and exploitation reduction, risk significantly increased, with high-risk areas concentrated in the central and northern parts, expanding to 5%, primarily driven by groundwater level recovery. Groundwater quality evaluation effectively verified the risk assessment results. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the most sensitive parameter shifted from pollutant load (2002) to both pollutant load and vadose zone reduction coefficient (2008), with the latter becoming dominant by 2014 and remaining most sensitive after GAR (2022). Based on the variation degree of groundwater pollution risk after GAR, a reference safe groundwater burial depth threshold of 10–15&#xa0;m was proposed for the Yongding River replenishment area. These findings provide a new scientific perspective for the design of GAR schemes and sustainable groundwater management.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>